Thursday, October 19, 2006

Travel advice given by private company

Just a year after the transportation departments of Connecticut, New York and New Jersey unveiled a Web site aimed at taking the mystery out of the region's public transit system, a private company has done the same thing.

But Marc Sellouk said his new business, Publicroutes.com, is more than just a way to navigate the complicated tri-state transportation system, it's a local business finder that not only shows you the address but also a step-by-step way to get there.

The region's DOTs unveiled Trips123.com in April 2005. That Web site tracks accidents, construction and delays on roads and public transportation routes throughout the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut region. You can plan a transit trip throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties and into the other states on the site.

Publicroutes.com went active in June of this year but is still adding communities to the service.

An attempt to plan a trip between Bridgeport and Ansonia failed on publicroutes.com Tuesday, but a trip from Bridgeport to Katz's Delicatessen in Manhattan worked.

Trips123.com was able to produce directions to both locations.

But a key difference was getting the Katz's Deli information from publicroutes.com. One only has to type in Katz's Deli in New York and the Web site will track down the location. Then, the user can choose to find directions to the deli. This option is not available on Trips123.com.

A search for Japanese food in the Stratford area on publicroutes.com was also successful, producing a list of at least five restaurants in the area.

Sellouk said that's what he wants people to be able to do, type in a name or type of business for an area and find that business.

As for the problems with plotting out a trip in Connecticut, Sellouk said the bus schedules for Connecticut are still being loaded.

"It's very complex technology," Sellouk said, adding that the Web site is still being improved.

The company plans to make money by selling advertising, Sellouk said, so the more useful the site is the more chance there is of attracting more users, which should translate into profits.

James Cameron, chairman of the Connecticut Rail Commuter Council, said he was glad to hear a private company is doing this.

"People who want to do the right thing and leave their cars behind are often stymied because they can't find their way around," Cameron said. The system of buses, subways and railroads isn't always the easiest to understand and Cameron added that more established Web sites have virtually ignored public transit and instead only offered driving directions to locations. Rob Varnon, who covers business, can be reached at 330-6216.